My love index is at its maximum.

At 9:30 a.m., the final day of the sports festival officially began.

The first event was the three-legged race.

Tazaki Tsukasa naturally wouldn't do anything sneaky in front of so many people, and behaved himself the whole time, which made Ninomiya Shiori very dissatisfied.

After successfully winning first place, they went on to participate in the individual tug-of-war competition.

Meanwhile, various club competitions are also in full swing.

With 12 points of stamina, Tsukasa Tazaki naturally took first place with a sweeping victory.

As the tug-of-war was drawing to a close, preparations for the mascot costume race had already begun. This event conflicted with the schedule, so only Little Cutie from the ATF club could participate. By the time Tsukasa Tazaki arrived, it was almost time to set off.

On the commentary stage, the diligent Miho Chiba held up the microphone: "The cutest mascot costume race is about to begin! Please give each of the participants a close-up shot."

On the big screen, contestants dressed in bulky mascot costumes appeared one after another.

Shiori Ninomiya is a chubby yellow duck.

When she saw the camera pointed at her, she took off her headgear and waved enthusiastically and lively at the camera, her lips always radiating a vibrant smile.

"Please focus the camera on Ninomiya-kun, yes, yes, hold it a little longer, very good, hmm..." Chiba Miho smiled gossipily, "By the way, I don't know if everyone has heard the rumor that 'Tsukasa Tazaki from Class 1-F is a scumbag who plays with girls' feelings,' and in the rumor, Ninomiya-kun is..."

Tsukasa Tazaki wiped his sweat.

He turned his head and looked towards the podium.

He himself didn't care about being gossiped about, but it was a different story if his little cutie was involved. Even if she didn't care, Tsukasa Tazaki couldn't stand it.

fortunately.

Before Chiba Miho could finish speaking, Shigawa Yui's cold rebuke came through the earphone.

"Chiba-senpai, please get back to the competition. Let's not waste everyone's time on other things."

"Hmm, haha..." Chiba Miho laughed a few times, then quickly changed the subject, "Now that all the contestants are in place, let's start the competition right away!"

Shiori Ninomiya pouted, put on her hood, and her chubby body slumped to the ground with difficulty.

At the starting line, the referee held up the signal gun.

"boom--"

As soon as the gunshot rang out, a group of chubby dolls rushed... no, they stumbled and crawled out.

Kumamon, Brown Bear, ducks, Pikachu, Eevee, and many other large plush toys clumsily waddled toward the finish line.

The students watching burst into laughter.

Club competitions are primarily for entertainment, unlike class competitions which are more formal and focused on winning or losing. Some contestants even go on stage just to create laughs and liven up the atmosphere. If these people are naturally comedic, they can still get cheers even if they don't manage to make anyone laugh.

"Shiori, do your best!" Tsukasa Tazaki ran alongside the yellow ducks on the side of the track.

The duck managed to maintain its balance, but after only a couple of steps, a Pikachu in front of it slipped and fell to the ground. The massive Pikachu blocked three lanes, tripping both the duck and Kumamon.

"Hahaha!"

Many people laughed so hard they bent over, and some even had to wipe their tears with their sleeves.

"come on--"

"Hurry up! Hurry up!"

"Hahaha!"

The duck fell down again and again, but got up again and again, stumbling and running towards the finish line.

Until the very end, it's impossible to know who will win or lose. That being said, you can still increase your chances of winning by making an effort.

Watching the ducks stagger along, sometimes even plopping down on their bottoms, Tsukasa Tazaki suddenly thought of the ducks that his little darling kept at home.

Every time she falls, she seems to mutter a complaint, "It's frozen again, there's nothing I can do," before quickly getting up, wiggling her bottom and optimistically waiting for spring to arrive.

No matter how much hardship they endured, they remained optimistic and strong.

The competition ended with Shiori Ninomiya ranking third, earning one point for the ATF team.

Taking off the hood, she didn't bother wiping the sweat from her forehead. She raised her fist with a "Whoa!" and grinned at Tsukasa Tazaki: "Kiki, isn't Shiori-chan amazing?"

"Barely completed the task!" Tsukasa Tazaki stepped forward with a handkerchief and wiped away her sweat. "But I'm very satisfied. Compared to the lazy captain, Shiori-chan is simply amazing!"

"Cough cough~"

A coughing sound came from behind me.

Tazaki Tsukasa turned to look at him. Kuriyama Sakura, her hand on her chin, watched his reaction with great interest. Although her expression was calm, the air around her was as cold as if a snowflake had just fallen.

"Let's go, it's our turn."

Tazaki Tsukasa greeted them casually and took the lead towards the entrance of the maze.

“…Tasaki is nothing!” Kuriyama Sakura gritted her teeth and followed behind, unwilling to give up.

This competition event is the paper partition maze.

The competition is won by having each club send two participants, who can be male and female, or male and female. The two participants, each carrying a piece of bread, must choose their direction based on a question presented at each fork in the road. The final ranking is determined by the speed at which they successfully meet.

To prevent collusion and cheating, all the problems that appear in the maze are randomly selected by the executive committee on-site, and the types of problems are designed to test the tacit understanding between the two parties.

Extract the question, ask one side to get the answer, and set the hint on the other side's maze path.

It took more than half an hour to complete the preliminary preparations. The eight contestants, munching on bread slices, entered the maze through eight different entrances.

The first question that Tsukasa Tazaki encountered was practically a freebie.

What is your companion's favorite animal?

【A: Cat】

【B: Dog】

A represents the left side, and B represents the right side.

There's no need to even think about this question. Just turn left and proceed through the two paper partitions. A few seconds later, you'll reach the second fork in the road.

What does your companion like to add to their tea?

A: Sugar

【B: Lemon juice】

remember.

When the Minister drinks black tea, he only adds lemon juice and no syrup.

Having run countless tea parties in the ATF department, Tsukasa Tazaki had long ago ingrained this fondness into her DNA.

Turn right and you'll arrive at the third question.

What's your companion's catchphrase?

[A: Foolish]

【B: Bastard】

Well……

Turn left, and you'll encounter the fourth problem.

What animal is your companion most afraid of?

[A: Centipede]

【B: Caterpillar】

Tazaki Tsukasa was caught in a dilemma.

The Minister is terrified of any small insect, and caterpillars and centipedes are probably equally disgusting to girls. So, how should she choose...?

I thought about it for a while.

He turned left.

Perhaps the caterpillar is the more terrifying insect to her, but this is a competition that tests both sides. When giving the correct answer, she will definitely consider whether Tsukasa Tsaki can choose the correct answer.

Having experienced that night in the Literature Club, Tsukasa Tazaki was certain that her answer would be centipede.

Compared to the first four questions, the fifth question is significantly more difficult.

What kind of person is your companion?

[A: A haughty young lady who acts solely on her own thoughts and desires, completely disregarding the opinions of others]

[B: A smart and sensitive young girl who also likes to overthink]

Tsukasa Tazaki chewed on a piece of bread while pondering the answer.

Drones buzzing overhead transmit images of the maze's interior to a large screen.

"Tasaki-kun, this is the last step! Kuriyama-san is rushing towards you, so don't choose the wrong one!" Chiba Miho shouted a reminder.

A girl screamed from outside the paper partition, and the boy clapped and cheered.

The entire playground erupted in cheers at that moment.

As Tazaki Tsukasa ate his bread, he heard the commotion outside and realized that Kuriyama Sakura had also arrived at the last fork in the road.

"Minister, you've really presented me with a very difficult problem..."

The bread, which was originally meant for the runners to carry while running, gradually disappeared into Tsukasa Tazaki's mouth, and soon only a small half-piece remained.

“Tazaki-san,” Chiba Miho reminded him, “Kuriyama-san has already made her choice. If you don’t act now, you won’t be able to meet her before the next fork in the road!”

Amidst the cheers and jeers, Tsukasa Tazaki finally took a step.

Chapter 308: Based on tacit understanding, a consensus was finally reached.

What is your companion's least favorite food?

【A: Spinach】

【B: Canned herring】

Faced with the first question, Kuriyama Sakura proudly puffed out her chest and chose A. Turning left and walking for about ten meters through a passage made of paper partitions, she encountered the second question.

What small animals does your companion like?